Fletcher LAW and GRACE Ministries exists to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ through the preaching,teaching and writing ministry of Fletcher Law. Faith is the theme. We also just have some fun talking SEC football and other stuff. Fletcher is from Gainesville,GA., BS Ed.Ole Miss, MEd. North Georgia College and State University, M.Div Emory-Candler School of Theology, D.Min Samford-Beeson Divinity School.

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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Longstreet Café Drink Cups and Your Eternal Destiny

Longstreet Café Drink Cups
and Your Eternal Destiny

After eating a great summer
lunch last week at the well known Longstreet Café in Gainesville (meatloaf,
mashed potatoes, white gravy, slaw, big biscuit and chocolate cake pudding if
you must know), my nephew Claxton said it was cool that the Ten Commandments
were printed on the restaurant’s big Styrofoam to-go cups during our family
outing.

After a way to big lunch we
all talked about it.

Why should the Ten Commandments
be seen anywhere?

Politicians go nuts about
posting or not posting The Ten Commandments in our local court houses.

Why?

They seem appropriate and are
our moral code right?

We are told in school that The Ten Commandments are the heritage of the Jew, Christian and the Muslim.

Are they really?

Let’s see.

Exodus 19:1-21 contains The
Moral Law of God or Ten Commandments.

We try to live up to them.

We think wrongly that there
is a scale of justice, like in our American justice system and we will weigh our
good deeds with our bad.

And we usually think “Hey I have
done a lot more good than bad.”

Our conclusion is we are made right with God by our deeds.

This is what much of modern
Christianity proposes as faith.

The Law then becomes “Ten
Nice Character Traits.”

#1- No other gods, #2 -No
idols, #3 - Do not dishonor God’s name,

#4 - Keep God ‘Sabbath, #5 - Honor
parents, #6 - No murder,

#7 - No adultery, #8 -Do not steal, #9 - Do not lie, #10 - Do not covet.

The Commandments then become
a recipe.

A Recipe for what?

Your best life now?

No.

Wrongly viewed the
Commandments are a recipe for how to go to Hell.

What?

You might think “That’s not right the Ten Commandments
are good.”

You would be right.

But many view the
Commandments wrong.

So what does the Bible say
about the Commandments?

Galatians 3:23-25 New
American Standard Bible (NASB)

“23 But before faith came, we
were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later
to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ,
so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no
longer under a tutor.”

The Ten Commandments are our “tutor”.

The King James Version says The
Law is our “schoolmaster”.

So what does the Ten Commandments
do?

The Ten Commandments are the world’s
largest Christian tract to turn the Jew, Muslim, Hindu, every religion
practitioner and atheist to Christ for forgiveness of sins violating God’s law
and salvation.

How?

The Law shows us we cannot
keep it's commands.

We then must look somewhere
else for salvation.

There will not be a popular
vote on our merits for our eternal destiny.

We are not under a democracy.

God made His Son a King for a
Kingdom.

The King judges on
righteousness.

Scripture says in Romans 3:10
there is no one righteous, no not one.

The King will decree who will be in His
Kingdom.

Only the King and Judge of
eternity can declare us righteous.

But how?

The how is in the cross of
Christ.

The Great Evangelist, Jesus, was
approached in town by the most respected and admired man in the community.

Luke 18:18-27New American
Standard Bible (NASB)

18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good
Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him,
“Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the
commandments, ‘ Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not
bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’”

Jesus took the man to
commandments 7,6,8,9,5.

The man was arrogant as he said
he had kept all of The Law.

“21 And he said, “All these
things I have kept from my youth.”

Jesus then took the man to Commandment
number one

“Thou shall No other gods
before me.”

The “best’ of us had another
god – his status.

“22 When Jesus heard this, He
said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and
distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come,
follow Me.”

In his arrogance the “best”
man in the community had proven he could not keep The Law.

The “best” of us could not
keep even one of the Ten Commandments.

“23 But when he had heard these
things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.”

The man left, he turned away
from Christ, he wanted eternal life to go along with his envied lifestyle he
already possessed - that lifestyle was his god.

The man did not want Jesus Christ and His righteousness.

Jesus had earlier said on the
Sermon on the Mount that if you even hate you are a murderer.

If a man has lustful thoughts
he is an adulterer.

We cannot keep some or any of
The Law

The Law condemns and turns
men to Christ if they are humbled.

The Law turns you away if you
are arrogant and hard of heart.

“24 And Jesus looked at him
and said, “ How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of
God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for
a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who
can be saved?” 27 But He said, “ The things that are impossible with people are
possible with God.”

Jesus was approached later by
another man.

Jesus met a person, a condemned
death row felon, representing the worst of men.

We know the man as “The thief
on the cross.”

The thief was humbled.

He knew he had broken God’s
law and deserved eternal punishment.

He was ready to receive
grace.

Jesus Christ gave him grace,
forgiveness and salvation and eternal life.

Luke 23:39-43 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

39 One of the criminals who were hanged there
was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and
us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear
God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed
are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but
this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me
when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you,
today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

The best of us, “the rich
ruler”, could not keep The Law.

He walked away from Jesus.

The “worst” of us, “The thief
on the cross” , a death row man being executed, received grace and eternal life
in Heaven.

Christ makes us righteous in
the eyes of God.

Christ became our sin on the
cross.

He took our sin when we
repent and turn to him in faith.

We believe Christ took the
wrath of God intended for us sinners.

By grace God gives us forgiveness
of sins, peace with God and and citizenship in Heaven.

We are saved from God’s wrath
intended for us sinners by God through Jesus
who atoned our sins on the cross and declared His people righteous.

After His victorious resurrection
He sits at the right hand of His father on His throne.

The Ten Commandments is the
biggest Christian evangelism tract ever.

The Law turns us to Christ as
we are hopeless in obtaining righteousness through The Law.

Obey the direction The Law
sends you.

Repent and believe the gospel.

John 1:17

“17 For the Law was given
through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

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About Me

I have a great family of three and we live in Gainesville,GA. I am the Pastor of Good News at Noon which is a community ministry and homeless shelter for what the world calls the least and the lost. My philosophy of ministry is from our founder Mr. Gene Beckstein- "Lift Jesus Up". My first book is out "Receiving Grace In The Grove". I have served as an adjunct professor for a Christian school Point University. I teach 7th grade Social Studies and coach 8th grade football for a great community - the Hilliard A. Wilbanks Patriots in Demorest,GA.